The moment Clay turned off the car, the startling sound of the car door opening sharply made Gavin flinch again.

“I’m—I—hi.” Nines stuttered, raising his hands weakly the moment he met Claire’s gaze. “It’s—my—I’m so sorry, what’s...?”

“O—ki, doki, Gavin.” Claire patted her cheek gently. “Please show signs of consciousness or we’ll have to lift Nines off the ground next.”

“Mom—oh my god.” Gavin stuttered nervously, as Clay and Claire laughed in response.

It certainly made the atmosphere lighter, and God only knew Nines and Gavin desperately needed that. Gavin sat up properly in the seat, getting out of the car carefully with Nines’ help. Clay exited the car and opened the door for Claire, who let Gavin have his own small moment with Nines to calm him down.   

“Are you really okay?” Nines asked quietly, as Gavin nodded weakly. “I can take you to the hospital if you need it, it’s like a ten-minute drive.”

“I’m okay.” Gavin whispered, raising his brows emphatically as he nodded. “I’m really okay, it’s not...I got sick and didn’t sleep and I think I just needed to sleep and I didn’t and I—”

“It’s okay—I know, I know...” Nines mumbled, glancing over Gavin’s shoulder to find Clay looking at him.

Like a snap of fingers in front of his face, Nines became aware of Claire’s presence – a reminder of what he needed to attend, and yet,

“Are we sure that...Gavin doesn’t need to go to the doctor?” Nines asked shyly, clearly unsure of his own words.

Hesitant to be ruining the first meeting with his mother-in-law, who he hadn’t even properly greeted.

“I think he should rest.” Claire responded sincerely. “I think he should go to bed and sleep in some more.”

“But you’re not going to be here for that long.” Gavin quickly let out, turning to his mother. “I want to hang out—I don’t want to sleep.”

“Maybe some medicine will be enough to perk you up.” Clay said. “Do you have a fever? A cold?”

Gavin’s poker face made the three of them frown in confusion.

“Gavin?” Claire raised a brow in confusion.

“I think I just need to sleep.” Gavin saved his dignity. “Definitely just a power nap.”

“Are you sure?” Nines whispered, only for Gavin to nod insistently. “Alright then...”

Nines turned to his gate, opening it quickly.

“Come on in, please...”

It was definitely not the first meeting they thought it would be, but in Claire’s opinion, it wasn’t bad at all.

They walked inside Nines’ house, and Claire instantly took many discreet glances at everything. She couldn’t help but be amazed by this young man’s home, the small garden, his car, the modern look of everything. It truly made her think a model lived there; she could recognize many brands on his electronics and even decorations. Claire couldn’t imagine having all of this in her early twenties, and for a moment, the realization that Nines was indeed just twenty-two made her turn to him with renewed interest. She stayed quiet, sitting where Nines offered her to take a seat. Clay and him exchanged a few quiet words before Nines turned to Gavin instead. Claire attentively observed  the way her son looked when he talked to him, with an expression she had never seen before. Gavin looked shy but worried at the same time, glancing at his mother who looked away every time he did. While Nines only looked concerned and didn’t look anywhere else, as if he kept forgetting that Claire was right there.

Not a bad first impression.

“Okay, I’ll go lay down a bit...” Gavin said, as his mother nodded. “Just a bit though.”

“If you come downstairs in ten minutes, I’ll take you upstairs myself.” Claire said, as Gavin twisted his lips weakly. “Gavin.”

“Alright—okay, I’m sorry.” Gavin mumbled nervously, glancing at Nines. “I’m sorry.”

Nines quickly composed his face, just to offer a soft smile.

“Don’t be sorry, silly.” Nines chuckled gently. “We’ll be here, it’s fine.”

“Okay...” Gavin nodded, holding his fingers nervously. “I...okay—I think I should tell you though...”

“What is it?” Claire asked.

Gavin closed his eyes, trying to spare himself some dignity but knowing well deep down...it would backfire if he didn’t tell the truth.

“I actually have really bad diarrhea right now and I feel kind of dizzy so maybe—you know, yeah.”

It would backfire in all directions, in a concerning amount.

“What...did you...” Nines was already shaking his head at the thoughts crossing his mind. “What did you do?”

Every miserable – terrible idea was suddenly morphing before his eyes, until,

“I—I think I p—punched Bryan backstage.”

The world gained back its color – and so did Nines’ face.

“Oh.” He blinked, as his expression relaxed immediately. “Oh?” The smirk on his lips faded back in too.

“I know—I’m so sorry.” Gavin let out, covering his face with his hands, shrinking his shoulders instinctively. “I don’t—fucking know what happened to me, I wasn’t—I swear I didn’t—I didn’t mean to, it’s just that he—I was—he was looking for you in your dressing room and I think I beat him up I don’t know what happened I blacked out I’m so sorry—I’ll apologize if I have to I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you and your job and—I’m so fucking sorry—”

Gavin’s crash out was interrupted by the sweetest sensation – a gentle grip on his hands to push them away from his face, and a soft graze of Nines’ lips on his.

“You’re too cute.” Nines mumbled against their kiss, though that only made Gavin frown incredibly hard. “Dumbass.”

“No, I’m—I’m not joking.”

READ THE FULL SCENE HERE!!

Gavin being down BAD for Nines is my prerogative (Every fic I write ends up in both simping for each other like its their JOB)

Gavin's little ":3" is gonna be the death of me :(( he's so baby boy

READ HERE:

OIUGUHHH THEY'RE SO BOYFRIENDS BRO :CCCC

"My boyfriend is a loser?" on ao3 is effectively both healing and ruining my brain AAAAAA Come read Gavin and Nines being ?? happy ??? and boyfriends ?? for a change lol

unless

I promised AND DELIVERED.

Volumen II of "Sweet like drawing pins" is finally here!

*PLEASE READ THE TAGS*

Read here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/81457816

Summary: (whole, as ao3 only lets me cut it short):

In both love and the streets, there are codes important to be followed.

Loyalty is written in blood, fate was simplified as a death sentence, and love has become so much more than a feeling. It became an act of defiance, of resilience.

Love was a choice.

Nines Miller had made the choice to prevail by Gavin Reed's side - a man made of lies, a man turned myth, a man at the center of endless, senseless wars. Having finally found the family he has searched for since birth, they have accepted the price of belonging. A price Nines Miller never doubted to pay, but a price Gavin Reed had escaped his whole life. He, a child brutalized into a man - a man turned into a protector, would battle himself as he tried to make peace with a fate where no promises could be made.

A catastrophic misunderstanding has turned blood against blood.

Chris Miller, Nines’ own cousin and the formidable boss of the Persians, has fallen victim to the lethal lies of Daisy Clerk. a Cobra mole hiding in plain sight. Convinced that Nines has been brainwashed and stolen, Chris prepares his people for a war against the Drawing Pins. The ultimate tragedy of a prophet turned fool: a brother trying to save a brother, vindicating his violence in the name of a love that might have never truly existed.

This is a battle of bleeding souls and empty shells. In the chaos of the streets, every face in the crowd is a story unto itself, carrying a meaning deeper than any paragraph could ever narrate.

Pov: you're a rat man in the wild

NEW CHAPTER OF "MY BOYFRIEND IS A LOSER?" IS UP!!!

so Nines is on this runway and Gavin is being SO boyfriend and chill and totally not freaking out :D meeting the bodyguard of his bf that's not scary at all

pov: right in front of your vegan salad

move along, nothing suspicious going on in this kitchen. just a boyfriend cooking his boyfriend some vegan food. and his boyfriend just came out of the shower and totally got some clothes on. and this said boyfriend is also not clingy or needy or nothing weird like that

READ THIS SCENE OVER HERE FAM

Pov: you're about to fuck your boyfriend in DDR

If you wonder why Nines has a facemask and looks like he's about to rob a bank and Gavin looks like a juicy little baby then you need ? to read ? "my boyfriend is a loser?" ? like join the hype what are you waiting for fr

art by: matt gilu